


Bind

by orphan_account



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-31
Updated: 2015-04-25
Packaged: 2018-03-20 14:35:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3653997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dipper comes out <s>to Stan</s> a lot more people than he expected to. <s>(Very small drabble)</s> Somehow this turned multichapter?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Um... Grunkle Stan?"

Stan looked up from whatever soap opera he happened to be watching to see his great nephew standing in the doorway, twisting his shirt and looking nervous as hell. 

"What's up, kid?"

"So, Mabel and I were out looking for, um, things, when my jacket ripped, and my shirt, and, um..."

Stan's eyes narrowed. The kids were out chasing monsters again. It was actually funny how they thought he didn't know.

"Are you hurt?"

"Well, no, but..." He trailed off uncomfortably.

"Do you need something or not, kid, because I'm missing my soaps."

He took a huge breath, then said in a rush, "My binder ripped too and I need a new one."

"...A binder? You mean like for papers?"

"No, um, a chest binder."

Oh. _Oh._

"Look, kid..."

Dipper's face screwed up, like, he was expecting to be hit or something.

"I don't know where you could get one of those here, but take this anyway," he muttered, pulling out his wallet and removing a few bills. "Get something more durable next time, alright?"

Slowly, like he couldn't believe it, Dipper reached for the money, face lit up. 

"Wow, um, thank you, Grunkle Stan. My parents, they never, um, never paid for this kind of thing."

Stan raised an eyebrow. "What did they do?"

"Oh, uh, nothing too bad. They just kind of ignored it, said it was a phase. Mabel was good though."

"Hmm. Well, go on an order whatever you think you need. Maybe get some flame decals or something."

"Yeah, I don't think so." Before Stan could process it, Dipper quickly came over and hugged him. Without waiting for a response, he dropped a quick, "Thanks!" and all but ran out of the room. 

If anyone asked, Stan would vehemently deny the smile on his face as he turned back to his show.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Mabel! I decided to split her part and their parents parts into two separate chapters. Timeline-wise, this is a few months or so before going to Gravity Falls.

It started with the dresses.

Mabel had always been cheerful and agreeable, happy to be wrestled into whatever lacy monstrosity had been chosen for that day.

Dipper, on the other hand, was not.

She threw tantrums and cried whenever her parents pulled out so much as a skirt, insisting they were "dumb!" and "for girls!" When reminded that she was a girl by increasingly confused parents, she usually whined and went limp, giving up. Eventually, they stopped bothering with them, allowing Dipper to wear ballcaps and grubby shorts, grinning and jumping into mud with her twin. 

She always kept her hair pulled up, or tucked it into her hat. Eventually, she needled her parents into allowing a bob, and continued to drop hints about getting it cut even shorter.

Though their parents were oblivious, Mabel knew something was up with her sister. She always watched when Dipper was forced into dresses for nicer occasions, and her face was always extremely upset, which Mabel didn't understand. Dresses were fun and frilly and sometimes glittery, what wasn't there to like? But there was something wrong with her twin, and Mabel intended to find out what.

Secrets were told at night, right? That's when Mabel told secrets to her friends, so she waited until bedtime to try and talk to Dipper.

The two of them were all tucked in, with glow-in-the-dark stars stuck above Dipper's bed and a hundred billion stuffed animals on Mabel's. She grabbed one or eight for support, then rolled over and said, "Hey, Dipper?"

"Yeah, Mabel?" Dipper's voice was groggy, she must have been asleep. Oops.

"Why do you hate dresses so much? And your hair?"

Silence. It was quiet for so long, Mabel thought Dipper fell asleep. That is, until she heard a sniffle from her twin's side of the room.

Mabel gasped and launched out of bed, because maybe she didn't understand why, but her sister was _crying_ and she needed help.

Their skinny arms wrapped around each other as Dipper buried her head in Mabel's shoulder. Mabel, unsure but determined, reached up and patted Dipper's flyaway hair with sticky fingers, shushing because isn't that what you do when people cry? 

"It's okay, Dipdop, you can talk to me, I promise it'll be okay, shhh..."

It was a few minutes before Dipper sat up.

"Do... Do you ever feel like people see you the wrong way? Like, they think you're something, but you're not, but maybe they're right and you're wrong and do you tell them they're wrong or do you just go with it? I don't know what to do, because what if I'm wrong and I'm worried about nothing, except the dresses, and other things, they all feel so _wrong_."

"What feels wrong?"

"When people say... When they... They say ' _she_ did this, _she_ needs to wear her dress, that book is _hers_ ,' it feels so wrong."

"What do you mean?" Mabel asked gently, starting to get an idea but trying to get Dipper to voice it to her(him?)self.

"Mabel... I'm a boy."

Mabel grinned, so, _so_ happy for her ~~sister~~ _brother_. She grabbed him and squeezed him in her (surprisingly strong) arms. 

"Dipper!!! Is Dipper still okay or do you want a different nickname? Well, either way, I'm so so so proud of you! I have a _brother_ oh my gosh! I knew something was wrong but I'm so happy you figured it out wow!"

As she continued to ramble, she could feel her brother grinning against her shirt. He sniffed a few more times, but she was sure he would be okay. After all, he had her, and she was the best support-person _ever!_

"Are you gonna tell mom and dad?"

Dipper sat back, no longer smiling. "I don't know. Would they get it? What if they don't? What if they... Get mad, or something? What if they ignore it, or, or kick me out, or what if-"

"Dipper! It'll be okay. You don't have to tell them if you don't want to, and if you do, I'll be with you! If they kick you out, which I don't think they will, I'll go with you, and we can live with one of my friends, or under a bridge or in a cave or on a train but I'll go with you! I _promise_!"

He laughs a little bit. "I don't know if I'll tell them, but I promise I'll give you a heads up before I do."

Mabel grins and hugs her _brother_ one more time. When their parents come to wake them up the next morning, the two of them are still in the same bed, Dipper flopped over Mabel's stomach and Mabel's hair flipped over _everything_ , and if they take a few pictures for scrapbooks sake, well, no one needs to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! The parents will be next, probably.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper v. his parents. It goes about as well as he expected.

"Today's the day. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna tell them."

This wasn't the first time Dipper had given himself this pep talk in front of his mirror. However, today he was sure. He had told Mabel, he had been psyching himself up all day, he was totally confident and

_Oh who was he kidding he was scared out of his wits._

Mabel was a huge support, assuring him that, _yes_ , he could do this, but no,it was okay to wait if he felt like he needed to. While he was incredibly anxious, he felt like he had to say something. Only Mabel called him a boy (when it was just the two of them, anyway), and he felt like he was suffocating under the _she_ s and _her_ s and _young lady_ s and he just couldn't take it anymore. 

Another deep breath. _Come on, Dipper, you can do this._

He scanned himself in the mirror. He looked the part, anyway. He had his short hair brushed then ruffled just so, he was wearing a baggy shirt with a vest over it, long shorts, dirty tennis shoes, but his arms were scrawny and his cheeks were round and soft and his voice was _so high_ and he feels like a fake oh god he can't do it-

Mabel ducked her head into the room. "Dinner time, bro-bro. You ready to go?"

Dipper turned to her, eyes wide. "No. No I can't do it I can't I look like a girl what if they just think I'm a tomboy or I'm _crazy_ or-"

Mabel gripped her brothers shoulders and looked sternly at him. "You can do it, bro. I'll be with you. I'll even tell them if you need me to. If you want to wait another day, you can. No one will hold it against you, I promise."

He shook his head. "I should say it. Thanks, though. And I really need it to happen today, if I get called a young lady one more time I think I might scream."

Mabel smiled at him. "Alright, well, I'll be there." 

Then, with a poke on his nose and a loud " _Bwap!_ ", Mabel grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen.  
\--  
Mr. and Mrs. Pines knew something was up with their younger daughter. How could they not? She was tense more often than not, and threw fits when she was required to dress up nicely. She wasn't really the type for tantrums, so each one stood out clearly in their minds. But when Dipper and her sister came to dinner hand in hand, they both had the sense that whatever had been happening was about to come to a head.  
\--  
"Meatloaf!" Mrs. Pines sang, delivering a generous helping to each plate. Mabel and Dipper had yet to separate, but Dipper knew he needed the support. He was working his hardest to just eat normally without jumping up and running from the table, he wasn't sure he could even speak. Mabel was both a strength and a snare, keeping him glued to his chair.

"So! How was everyone's day?" Mr. Pines asked heartily, doing his best to break the tension. Mabel gave Dipper a significant look and squeeze on his hand, but he just gave a tiny shake of his head. She returned with a small nod, then began rattling of a long list of the mishaps and adventures of her sixth-grade class. Her parents nodded and did their best to keep up with her long-winded rambling while Dipper collected himself.

She couldn't speak forever, though, and by the time she had finished a Dipper was just this side of panicking. 

"And you, Dipper? What's been going on with you?" Mrs. Pines asked.

It was a much more loaded question than Mrs. Pines had meant it to be, but as soon as she asked it, the room stilled. 

Mabel squeezed Dipper's hand again and gave him an encouraging nod. He took a deep breath, then said, "Mom, Dad..."

"I'm a boy."  
\--  
Mabel and Dipper had been sitting in their room for a while now. They hadn't been in trouble, per say, but they had obviously not been wanted in the kitchen for a while. 

Dipper was facedown on his pillow, burrowed under what looked like a hundred blanket. Mabel paced, restless and jittery. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm gonna go find out what they're talking about." There was a grunt from the bed. She didn't expect much else.

She knew she would be sent back to her room if she was found. However, she was also a practiced eavesdropper.

Rather than trying to stay still right outside the kitchen, Mabel crept up to the attic, where she perched next to a vent that happened to lead right to the kitchen.

Distant voices echoed up. It wasn't perfect, but there was much less chance she'd be caught. 

"It...........phase?..........Pretend..........she............Send them....Stan?"

Another voice. "Can't.........but what if...encourage?"

".....out of the house. Send Mabel..........or she won't go."

"Only.......summer?"

She sat back. They were going to send Dipper away? For how long? It sounded like just for the summer, but who knew for sure? At least they would probably send her too. 

What would she tell Dipper?  
\--  
When she got back, Dipper didn't even ask. He had totally buried himself in bedding, so much so she couldn't even see his head. 

"Hey, Dipper?"

The blanket mound shifted but didn't respond.

She didn't push it, simply crawled under the blankets with him. They sat there together as a floor below their parents decided what to do with them.

That summer, they were shipped off to Gravity Falls, Oregon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as good a result as the other two, but not everyone can be as great as Mabel and Grunkle.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whoops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: this chapter has someoneone walking in on Dipper while he's not wearing his binder, so they find out he's trans without him telling them. please be careful!

Dipper stood in the Mystery Shack gift shop and stretched. His chest ached from his binder, but he was too stubborn to go and take it off.

That changed when Mabel saw him wince while he stretched. She immediately marched over and poked him in the stomach. 

"Alright, buster, you've been wearing that for a long time and you've gotta give those ribs a break. Either you go to the bathroom and rest 'em or I'll lock you in and make you."

"Mabel-" he started to protest, but she ignored him, whipping him around and shoving him to the closest one. "I want that binder off for _at least_ 10 minutes, bro-bro."

Dipper sighed in resignation. It was only 10 minutes, he would live.

In the bathroom, he took off his shirt, than spent at least two minutes trying to wrangle off his binder. Once free, he finally managed to take his first deep breath of the day. 

He had about 5 minutes of relaxation, then there was a knock at the door. Before he could say anything, it swung open, and the worst person possible stood there. 

Not Mabel, or Stan, or Wendy, or Soos.

_Robbie._

Dipper's arms flew to cover his chest, but the damage was done.

"Um, uh, I... I'll just..." Robbie stuttered, then swung the door shut.

Dipper backed up to the wall behind him, and sank down.

 _Crap._  
\--  
Mabel was having a good day. She danced with Waddles, told jokes to Wendy and Soos, got an approving ruffle from Stan when she convinced a customer to buy three more items than they originally planned, and got Dipper to actually take a break from his binder.

Mabel was having a good day, until Robbie walked into the bathroom.

She had seen him leaving in that direction, but was stuck behind a pack of tourists in the shop, so by the time she managed to weave her way to the bathroom, Robbie was already shutting the door. 

They made eye contact. Robbie pointed around her and started to mumble, "I'm just gonna-" 

"Oh no you will not! You stay _right here_. I'll be back in a second." With that, she ducked into the bathroom.

Inside, Dipper was curled up against the wall. He had hastily tugged on his binder again, but was now just staring at the wall, eyes wide.

"Hey, Dipdop," Mabel said as she sat by him.

"Hi, Mabel," he said quietly.

"Do you need a visit to blanket town?"

A pause, then a slow nod.

"Let's go upstairs."

Mabel grabbed her brother's hand, and led him out of the bathroom. In the hall, Wendy seemed to be having a quiet but intense talk with Robbie, who seemed appropriately chastised. The girls had a quick, silent conversation.

A nod at Dipper. _He okay?_

Shrug. Nod to stairs. _He will be. We're going to our room._

With that, the twins walked off.  
\--  
After a half hour under the thickest, fluffiest comforter Mabel could find, she finally managed to coax her brother out. 

"I don't really want to go back down to work though."

"That's okay. Want me to go see if Robbie is still here?"

He smiled gratefully at her. "Would you?"

"Be right back, Dipping Sauce!"

She _boop_ ed him on the nose, then went to the gift shop.  
\--  
Downstairs, Robbie was sitting next to Wendy at the cash register. Mabel walked up and asked Wendy, "What's he still doing here?"

"He wants to talk to Dipper. Wants to say sorry."

"Why was he even here?"

Robbie answered that one. "I just wanted to take Wendy out to lunch, okay?"

Wendy punched him in the shoulder. "We aren't even dating anymore, dummy." 

"Yeah, okay, but see..."

Mabel let them bicker for a bit, then poked Robbie in the chest and said, "Alright, I'll trust you won't be a huge jerk when you tell him you're sorry. But if you are, Wendy and I will beat you up." She leaned in closer. "She can hold you down, and I will superglue your fingers to your face."

Robbie gulped, then nodded.

Mabel made an 'I'm watching you' gesture, then marched back upstairs.  
\--  
Dipper hadn't put up any kind of fuss when Mabel explained it to him, just grabbed her hand and went down with her. 

The gift shop was empty by now, as it was about 10 minutes to closing. Robbie looked at Dipper, then let his eyes drift down to the floor.

"Sorry for walking in on you."

"...It's okay. Just, you won't, you know tell anyone, will you?"

"Nah. I'm not that big of a jerk." 

Robbie stood and walked towards the door, then turned back and said, "This doesn't mean we're friends or anything. We're both Wendy's guys and she'll beat me up if I'm mean to you. That's totally the only reason I'm being nice."

Dipper attempted to hide a smile. "Okay, Robbie. See you later."

"Yeah, whatever."

The bell above the door jingled as he walked out.

Mabel put her hands on her hips. "Well I think that went great."

Dipper copied her and declared. "I am never taking off my binder at work again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! sorry for the long pause, I'll try and get the next one out faster!
> 
> EDIT: I know everyone wanted Wendy and Soos, but I'm sorry, I have absolutely no inspiration for it. They wouldn't say anything that hasn't been said before in this fic. Wendy would be casual like Stan, Soos would be enthusiastic like Mabel, both would be accepting. Because of this, I'm declaring this fic officially finished. I'm sorry I couldn't get that last chapter out, but I want to thank everyone regardless for sticking with me!


End file.
